Card record sorting device



- 1 F. V.ZENDZIAN ETAL. 2,575,505

CARD RECORD SORTING DEVICE Filed April 26, 1949 I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 HE HE E aa EBB a E CARD FIG: -2

Frank V ZendZzLqrl Henry macaluso qw meg 3 rzv ante r's NOV; 1951 F. v. ZENDZIAN ET AL 2,575,505

CARD RECORD SORTING DEVICE Filed April 26, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 i7 s-fl 11 F1695 E IG.-4

g Otherness Patented Nov. 20, 1951 CARD RECORD SORTING DEVICE Frank V. Zendzian and Henry Macaluso, Clifton, N. J.

Application April 26, 1949, Serial No. 89,626

2 Claims.

This invention deals with a card sorting device or records analyzer. More specifically,fit pertains to means for sorting, mechanically, cards having their lower edges slotted in accordance with a predetermined code.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of one preferred embodiment of the device, while Figure 2 represents a front view of the same unit. A cross-sectional side View, taken along III-III of Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated in Figure 3, together with the selector tool. Figures 4 and are side and rear views, respectively, of the selector tool employed with the device shown in Figures 1 and 2. Similar numbers refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawings, numeral I represents a flat board or base on the side of which is attached upright side support 2 for the side edges of cards 6 to be sorted. Near the back of base I is fixed upright support 3 serving as a stop or guide for the backs of the cards 6. Back support 3 also acts as a guide for the back end II of tool 9, as will be described in further detail hereinafter.

The top surface of base I is grooved to provide parallel uprightly projecting and equidistantly spaced narrow slats or ridges 4 between which are recessed slots or grooves 5 (Fig. 1) which are made deep enough in base I to accommodate tool 9, as it is slid under the cards (Fig. 3), in the manner to be described subsequently. These slats and grooves run perpendicular to back support 3 and parallel to supporting side 2. The cards 6 are placed upright with bottom edges 1 touching the top edges of slats 4. The bottom edges 1 of cards 6 are slotted with slots 8 a trifle wider than tool 9 so as to allow ready access of tool 9 into slots 8, the latter being punched into the edge of the cards at the proper recess location on base I in accordance with the code employed. Corner holes 20 are punched in the upper corners of cards 6 to facilitate withdrawal of the cards raised by tool 9, by inserting a pin through holes 20 of the cards so raised.

Back support 3, against which cards 6 are stacked for proper alignment, is provided with a series of slots or holes l5 straddling each groove 5, or, a continuous slot may be employed straddling all of the grooves, if desired. The height of grooves 5 should be about the width of back end II of tool 9 or the height from point I3 (Fig. 3) to the top of base I or the tops of slats 4 which are level with the top of the base. This allows rear end II of tool 9 to slide under cards 6, as it is pushed forwardly in the groove, and then rise along inclined planes I2 in base I at the back ends of grooves5, and rest in slots I5. Sub-base I6 is provided for base I, and inside said sub-base may be mounted electrically actuated vibrator I8 for vibrating the unit and thus keep cards 6 separated to facilitate stacking and sorting. A stop I4 is mounted on the back edge of base I to act as a stop for end I! of sorting tool 9.

In the operation of the device, cards 6 having punched openings 8 on the bottom edge, in accordance with a predetermined code related to the information on the cards, are stacked against back support 3 with right side edges against side support 2, with vibrator I8 turned on by plugging in electrical terminals I9. Then, tool 9 is inserted into the slot corresponding to the code for which the sorting is to be done, as in Figure 3. As the tool 9 is slid under cards 6, end II reaches inclined plane I2 at the same instant when end 2I of inclined plane I0, near the front end of tool 9, reaches the front edge of base I.

As tool 9 is pushed in under the cards, the two inclined planes cause tool 9 to rise, with both ends level, and, as the tool rises, it lifts those cards 6 (Fig. 3) which are not punched for that code. The action of the vibrator causes a stacking of the unpunched cards at an angle, whereupon a pin is then inserted into lifted holes 20 in the upper edges of the cards and the unpunched cards are lifted out, leaving the sorted cards behind. The unpunched cards are removed when tool 9 is in the position 9'.

By means of this device it is a simple matter to effect sorting of punched cards carrying information on payroll distribution, sales analyses, inventories, accounts receivable or payable, and the like.

Although card 6 in Fig. 2 is shown with two corner holes 20 punched in the top of the card, it is possible to punch an additional two holes in the lower corners, so that both top and bottom of the card may be used for coding and sorting.

We claim:

1. In a punched-edge card sorting device comprising a flat base serving as a rest for the punched edges on the cards when said cards are stackeda series of uniform, parallel grooves disposed 0n the surface of said base at right angles to said cards, at least one side guide for said cards, projecting upwardly from said base, a back support for said cards attached to said base and a flat sorting tool having a straight upper edge and fitting easily into the punched portions of said cards and of uniform thickness sufficient to enable sliding thereof in any one of said grooves for effecting the card sorting operation, the improvement comprising an extension on said base behind said back support, terminations of said grooves disposed in said extension, said terminations comprising rearwardly and upwardly inolined smooth bottom surfaces reaching a height substantially equal to the depth of said grooves and serving to elevate the rear end of said tool and the cards riding thereon which are unpunched in the portion above the *tOoL'an-opening in the bottom of said back support, adjacent the grooves and of suflicient height to allow said tool to pass therethrough and be raised overs-aid groove terminations, said tool'having a narrow rear portion of height substantially equal to the depth of said grooves, and having a 'front por tion of height substantially equal to the depth of 20 said grooves plus the height of the narrow rear portion of said tool, the juncture between the front and rear portions at the bottom edge of said tool being sloped forwardly and downwardly to facilitate lifting of the forward portion of the tool after it is pushed backwardly in a groove and when the rear end of said tool reaches said termination of the groove in said extension of the base.

2. A card sorting device according to claim 1 in which the upper edge of the extension has a stop, parallel to the back support, for restraining further backward movement of the tool.

FRANK V. ZENDZIAN. HENRY MACALUSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date r 1867, 930 Stretch Oct. 8, 1907 873,305 Ecka-rt Dec. 10, 1907 1,082,970 Osborn Dec-30, 1913 1,251,502 Gilfillan Jan. 1., 1918 2,248,536 Jones July 8, 1941 

